


Venomous Snakes and Venomous Thoughts

by just_another_outcast



Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [2]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s01e02 The Annihilator, Gen, Good Parent Gil Arroyo, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Malcolm Bright Gets a Hug, Malcolm Bright Whump, Panic Attacks, Papa Gil, Protective Gil Arroyo, Tag to 1x02, The Annihilator - Freeform, brief appearances made by Dani and JT, coda to 1x02, snake bite - Freeform, super mild though, worried parent Gil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24676060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_outcast/pseuds/just_another_outcast
Summary: Malcolm gets bit by a black mamba.  Gil isn't going back to work on the case until he knows that his kid is gonna be okay.(tag to 1x02, The Annihilator)
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright
Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782832
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	Venomous Snakes and Venomous Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> The scene we really deserved. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!!!

Gil cursed in frustration as he finished his sweep of the warehouse. Their suspect was gone, and on top of that, Dani and Malcolm were nowhere to be found.

"JT," he called out to the man at the other end of the floor. "Where are Powell and Bright?"

Before JT could answer, Gil's name rang out, Dani's cry echoing throughout the warehouse. Gil started running towards the sound of her voice on reflex, JT right on his heels. Inside the adjoining space, amongst the crates and tanks containing a plethora of animals who definitely deserved better, was Dani, on her knees, leaning over something, or someone. Gil's heart stopped when he got close enough to see that it was Malcolm. But after a second of pure terror and panic, Gil launched into action. Malcolm didn't have time for anything else.

"Bright, stay with me," Dani repeated as Gil slid to his knees next to his kid. He quickly turned Malcolm onto his side, to the recovery position. "A bus is on the way," Dani said as she moved out of Gil's way.

"What the hell happened?" Gil asked as he looked Malcolm over. The only injury seemed to be his wrist, which was bleeding from two sizable puncture wounds.

"Suspect threw a snake at him, it bit him," Dani quickly replied. Gil could hear the panic in her voice. This wasn't exactly something they'd ever dealt with before.

"Damn," JT muttered from behind him. "I'll lead the EMTs in." In the back of his mind, Gil could hear the sound of JT's footsteps as the man ran outside, but in the forefront, all he could hear was his kid's labored breaths. It was a sound he never wanted to hear again.

"Come on, kid," he muttered as Malcolm's eyelids fluttered. The kid was passing out. Gil didn't know much about snake bites, but he knew that was never good. "Stay with me, focus on me," he said, but it was too late. Malcolm was unconscious, and without medical attention, he wasn't likely to wake up again. But despite his unconscious state, the kid was still moving. Light seizures were wracking his body, and there was nothing Gil could do about it.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Dani asked, and for just a moment, Gil was struck by how young she sounded. He didn't have time to dwell on it. Before he could answer, footsteps were rushing towards them. The EMTs had arrived, a stretcher rolling with them.

"Sir, we need you to move," one of them said. The man didn't wait for Gil to get up before he was forcing himself past him to get to Malcolm. It took everything Gil had not to lash out at the man who was just doing his job, but this was his kid, and he was hurt, and Gil needed to be right there next to him. Still, Gil managed to let the EMTs do their job and get his kid onto the stretcher. He followed right behind them out of the warehouse, his eyes caught on the blood still pouring from the puncture wounds. He would never look at snakes the same way again.

"We need to intubate," another EMT said as they loaded him onto the ambulance. That was the last straw. Gil was not going to be separated from his kid for another second. He climbed into the back of the bus, ignoring JT and Dani who were calling after him. They would figure everything out.

"Sir, only family can ride here," the first EMT said.

"He's my kid," Gil replied, eyes still stuck on Malcolm as the other EMTs shoved a tube down his throat in order to keep him breathing. For the first time, Gil was glad the kid had passed out. That would've been absolute agony had the kid been awake.

Gil tucked himself out of the way, in the corner, giving the EMTs room to save his son's life. Logically, Gil knew he had nothing to be scared for. Snake bites, even by the most dangerous snakes in the world, although extraordinarily painful, were very rarely lethal anymore. Modern medicine and antivenoms had made sure of that. And Malcolm was already receiving treatment and would be at the hospital in minutes to receive even more. He really was going to be fine. But Malcolm did always seem to be the exception to every rule, and this time, that terrified Gil.

On the ambulance, Gil could do nothing but watch helplessly. Once they arrived at the hospital, he still could do nothing but watch helplessly. The staff, doing their job, pushed him out of the way so they could administer the antivenom and other drugs. Gil didn't even have the chance to tell them that giving the kid a sedative wasn't a good idea.

But then it was over. One moment, there was a whole host of people around his kid, poking and prodding and drugging, and the next, there was only one person left standing above the kid, and he didn't look in a rush to do much of anything.

"Is that it? Is he gonna be okay?" Gil quickly asked him, taking advantage of the space and reattaching himself to Malcolm's side. He took the kid's pale hand in his own, looking between him and the doctor.

"Yeah, he should be just fine," the doctor replied. "We'll get him situated in a room, and then we'll take him off the ventilator. He should be out until this evening, at least." The man started wheeling the gurney that Malcolm was on down the hall, and, true to his word, extubated him as soon as he was settled in a room, hospital gown and all. Once again, Gil was glad that the kid was still out. "Like I said," the doctor continued. "He won't wake up until this evening, maybe not even until tonight, so you can leave and come back later, if you want." The doctor walked out before Gil could reply, clearly not caring if Gil stayed or left, as if that were even a question. There was no way that Gil was leaving for anything other than a cup of coffee down the hall. And, only after an hour of holding Malcolm's hand and thanking God that his kid survived, Gil found that he needed that cup of coffee. He needed to update Dani and JT as well. They'd been texting him - apparently their suspect's lawyer was trying to arrange a meeting, but that would have to wait at least until Ainsley could get to the hospital to stay with Malcolm - and he hadn't been replying.

"I'll be right back, kid, I promise," Gil said, giving Malcolm's hand a gentle squeeze before standing up and leaving to find that cup of coffee. Sadly, the case, and therefore Gil's job, didn't stop because his kid was in the hospital, which meant that Gil had to schedule a meeting with their suspect's lawyer for that day. He would just have to make sure that Ainsley got there as soon as possible. He really didn't want to leave the kid alone.

After setting up the meeting, letting Ainsley know what was going on, and updating Dani and JT, Gil made his way back to Malcolm's room. His path was directed by panicked shouting. It was Malcolm. Gil bolted straight for his kid, almost dropping his coffee in the process - the coffee found a temporary home on the table right outside the room, out of the way and out of mind, but not spilled all over the floor where hardworking nurses would have to spare the time to clean it up.

"What did you give me?!" Malcolm was shouting, his eyes wide open and absolutely terrified. The nurses were trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working. Gil heard one of them say something about administering more sedative, but he got to Malcolm before they did.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said, getting Malcolm's attention. He gathered his kid up in his arms and held him as Malcolm tried to keep himself from hyperventilating. "You're okay, I'm right here," he said. Gil gently ran his fingers through Malcolm's hair and rubbed his back. "You're okay, I promise. I'm not going anywhere." He looked up at the nurses, some of whom had filtered out, and whispered, "he's okay, he doesn't need anything." Gil was content to just sit there and hold Malcolm as long as it took for the kid to calm down, even forever.

Slowly, the rest of the nurses filtered out, but Gil could see the doctor staring at them through the window, looking very confused. Maybe Gil should've mentioned that Malcolm didn't have normal reactions to sedatives, but it was a little late for that.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine," Malcolm finally said, taking a deep breath and pulling away from Gil, sitting up on his own strength. Gil moved back to the chair he had vacated.

"Kid, you don't have anything to be sorry for, and you're not fine," Gil argued. "You got bit by a black mamba, you're definitely not fine." Malcolm looked down at his own wrist, covered in gauze bandages, and gave it a few experimental rotations, wincing as he did so.

"It barely hurts, and they've already done everything they can here. There's nothing more a hospital can do to help me," Malcolm fired back. "I'm signing myself out, we have to get back to the case. Did you catch the suspect?"

Gil sighed. "No, and no, we do not have to get back to the case, I do," he said. "I have a meeting to get to with the guy's lawyer, and Ainsley will be here soon to keep an eye on you."

"You think Ainsley can keep me here?" Malcolm asked incredulously. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Will you at least let the doctor check you over again?" Gil asked. If Malcolm agreed to that, he'd call it a win. The kid was right when he insinuated that no one could keep him in a hospital, not even Gil. But if he agreed to let a doctor look at him once more, Gil would call it good enough, at least this time.

"Yes, I'll let a doctor take another look," Malcolm replied, sounding exactly like a petulant teenager. Gil would take it.

Now that he knew for sure that Malcolm really was going to be okay, Gil's concern for the kid was replaced by righteous anger at the punk who caused his kid pain. Even if the suspect didn't turn out to be their guy for the murders, Gil would still make sure that he did serious time. Illegal animal smuggling was heinous enough, but for what he did to Malcolm, Gil would charge him with everything they had. Maybe he could even convince the DA to sign off on charging the man with assault on a federal agent, or a police officer. That was a bit of a lofty aspiration, since technically Malcolm wasn't a federal agent anymore, and he was only working with cops, he wasn't technically one himself. But still, Gil would make sure that anyone who hurt his kid would pay dearly for it. No one hurt Malcolm on Gil's watch and got away with it.

"Are you okay?" Malcolm asked him, snapping Gil out of his vengeful thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he quickly replied. Malcolm clearly didn't believe him, but the kid didn't press it.

Really, when it came down to it, Malcolm understood how much he meant to Gil. The kid was smart enough to put two and two together and figure out that when Gil was staring murderously at his bandaged wrist - since that was where Gil's gaze had unintentionally fallen - he was really imagining all the different ways that he could make the perpetrator pay. Malcolm had always been excellent at reading people, his family included, so Gil wasn't surprised.

"I really am fine, Gil," Malcolm continued, his voice a little softer.

"Okay, kid," Gil said, not really agreeing, but not fighting him on it. He needed to leave to go talk with the dirtbag's lawyer, and he didn't want to pointlessly argue a losing battle with his kid before he left. "Ainsley will be here soon, but if you do decide to leave once she's here, please call me and let me know."

"Of course," Malcolm responded with a genuine smile.

"I'm siccing the doctor on you," Gil said as he stood. Malcolm gave him a look of mock betrayal, but it quickly faded back into his smile.

True to his word, Gil told Dr. Canter, who had remained close by, to check on the kid, as he stepped out of the room. He grabbed his coffee from the table by the door and took a sip as he walked away. It was lukewarm.


End file.
